Diwali 2010

Diwali 2010 was very different. My parents have just left USA on Oct 30th, after staying with us for 4 months. It was a sudden loneliness, that made me cranky for the first day making chapathis for dinner. Second and third day were equally bad. I knew diwali was coming, and I had to make some sweet. However,Ii just could not summon the enthusiasm or the energy  to do it. So on Friday evening before the puja, got sweets from the store. That was offered to God this time. I never expected to feel this loneliness. I was quite happy to know that my parents had a good time, reached India safely etc. I even told my mother that Diwali sweets preparation would begin only after they left. But who knew it would come to gnaw at me for 4 days? 

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Poverty

For the first time in almost four years of living in USA, I saw a man with a tattered T-shirt. We had gone to watch a movie on Diwali evening, 5th Nov 2010. There, i saw this man, wearing a tattered t shirt, with a hole in the back, cleaning dustbins inside the theater. I don't know what he was looking for, but I did see him clean all the rims of the trash cans placed outside all theater entrances. Struck me in a very odd way-seeing that in this land of opportunity that people still flock to, there are people wearing torn clothes in winter. Felt sorry for him,and grateful to God for what I had, at the same time. 

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Life is passing me by.

Of late, I am feeling that life is passing me by too fast. i am nearing 30, have so many things I want to do, like catching up on music, dance, learn something new, write about our various trips inside USA. However,I never get around to doing anything.In bad need of time management,and some restful time to think about writing. Life's everyday conundrums keep me busy. You Tube is now my only source of Carnatic music. Watching videos and playlists of other kindred spirits.

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Butternut Squash Cake

Hi All:
Saw the recipe online. thought it wud be nice to share.

Butternut Squash Spice Cake

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Dan Goldberg

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Remarkably moist and tender, this cake gets its warmth from spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a hint of black pepper. Whole-wheat pastry flour adds nutrients without compromising taste or texture. Prep and Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours. Notes: Extra mashed squash may be served hot with butter, salt, and pepper; stirred into soups or stews; or frozen for future cakes. Whole-wheat pastry flour is sold at health food and specialty baking stores, as well as at Whole Foods stores.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1  small butternut squash
• 2  cups  whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1  teaspoon  ground allspice
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground nutmeg
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2  cup  unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2  cups  packed light brown sugar
• 2  large eggs
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla
• Powdered sugar or whipped cream (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place the squash halves, cut side up, on a baking pan, then cover with foil and bake until tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and let sit until cool enough to handle, then use a spoon to scoop out the cooked squash from the peel. Mash with a fork. Measure out 1 cup of the squash and set aside any remaining for future use (see Notes).

2. Turn oven down to 325°. Butter an 8- by 8-in. baking pan and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and pepper. Set aside.

4. With a mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth and a bit fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

5. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the cup of mashed squash. Add remaining flour mixture and stir just enough to combine. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

417 (30% from fat)

Protein:

6.9g

Fat:

14g (sat 8)

Carbohydrate:

70g

Fiber:

5.3g

Sodium:

401mg

Cholesterol:

85mg

Sunset, OCTOBER 2006

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Member Ratings and Reviews

LB
Great taste! very easy to make- just bought already but up squash from grocery store (about $5) and microwaved it. Much quicker and worth it! I also added a bit more cinnamon and allspice, and bought the cream cheese frosting to add to the top that really brought out the sweetness to it (GREAT as a muffin!!) will definitely make this again! (TIP: as with i leaned for cookies, putting the prepared mix back into the fridge helps keep the muffins moist)11/18/09

Lauren
This cake came out perfect. I loved the spice combination and the whole grain flour worked well. I have a VERY picky 2 year old son who enjoyed this cake as well! Definitely will be making this one again.01/18/09

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Pet Peeve- Unhappy with neighbor's behavior

A lady I know as my neighbor,and a good friend for more than a year now recently did something I did not find quite nice.

She had a friend visiting her from another country. The friend has been staying with her for almost 3 weeks when this incident occurred. Another thing my readers should also know is that this friend had been introduced to another common friend,and they also went out for dinner together. My neighbor, her friend,and this common friend. They have had 2 or 3 meetings thus far. This neighbor in question also lives opposite to the common friend's house, so much that they can both see who is coming and going to each other's homes.  

One afternoon, I was at this common friend's home, chatting with her. This neighbor suddenly stops by to see her. Till now, I have had no mention of this visiting friend from her, I did n''t even know her name. I casually ask my neighbor to stop by my home sometime. 

Within half hour of my coming back home,half way through my lunch, my neighbor and her visiting friend are knocking at my door. I was a bit surprised to see my neighbor. I had not seen her since her friend came, it had taken her 3 weeks to mention her friend, and now just within 30 minutes of us meeting, she decided it was good to drop by unannounced. . 

As she is walking into the home, this visiting friend says, 'Oh you are the girl I see walking the big dog. (the nighbor) says, Here's Nithya. By the time I look out of the window to see you properly, you are already gone.

Now This was not the kind of introduction I had expected from someone who has known me for a year now. Sure I walk dogs, but this neighbor has always been introduced by me and my husband, as a "friend and neighbor", or as " one who makes excellent brownies", to all of our Indian friends.Primarly, friend and neighbor. 

She could have introduced me properly as Nithya, who comes by to walk Jamie. or stopped me on the way back, and asked me in, if she really wanted to introduce me. Not a " so and so is passing by the window" reference. 

Even if I know the enighbor is at home, I always call her and ask if its ok to drop by. I had had a tired day,standing and cleaning the home, walking all the dogs on my afternoon walk list. This comment of the friend rankled me even more. And to top it all, my neighbor takes it upon herself to show her friend my house, not even allowing me to do so. This friend is more harum-scarum. She sees our cat's play area,and asks me about the cat. I tell her she is sleeping under the bed somewhere.She is not very comfortable with many people in the house,and she won't come out.  In spite of that, this friend decides to go walking around my house, calling out, " here, kitty kitty kitty. "

This was quite inappropriate. (and amusing, because Frisky was at her feet, wagging his tail every time she called kitty ). 

 The neighbor and friend both talked at the same time, over each other,not giving me a chance to answer either one.  Then its a "bye, we will let you get back to your lunch", and they walk out. 

As they walked past my home, I see my neighbor pointing out various things to her friend. So I realized, I was just a transit stop in showing the friend around the condo complex. Not that she wanted to come introduce her friend to me properly, no. 

It was a barge in- barge out kind of visit. 

They were at home for hardly 5 minutes. 

I was quite irked, and lost my appetite for lunch after that. 

Am I looking for self importance? Maybe. But in the end, I considered it just bad timing and bad manners on their part, when they barged in. 

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Paa-hindi movie

The below given details are from Wikipedia.
The story however, hints an Indian take on Brad Pitt's Benjamin Button.
What do you think?

Paa (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paa
Movie poster of Paa
Directed by	R. Balakrishnan (as R. Balki)
Produced by	Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Sunil Manchanda
Written by	R. Balakrishnan Lyrics Swanand Kirkire
Starring	Amitabh Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan Vidya Balan Paresh Rawal
Music by	Ilaiyaraja
Cinematography	P.C. Sriram
Editing by	Anil Naidu
Distributed by	Adlabs
Release date(s)	4 December 2009
Running time	164 min.
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	Rs. 15,00,00,000 (estimated)
Followed by	Maa (2010)

Paa is a 2009 Indian movie directed by R. Balakrishnan (credited onscreen as R. Balki) starringAmitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Vidya Balan.^[1]. The film is based on a genetic condition known as Progeria and places emphasis on a father-son relationship. The film released on 4 December 2009, worldwide. Veteran composer Ilaiyaraaja scored the music.

Contents  [hide] 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Soundtrack 3.1 Tracklist 4 Awards - Nominations for 16th Star Screen Awards 5 Sequel 6 References 7 External links

[edit]Plot

Auro(Amitabh Bachchan) is an intelligent and witty 12-year-old boy with an extremely rare genetic defect callled progeria. Mentally he is 12 very normal, but physically he looks five times older. In spite of his condition, Auro is a very happy boy. He lives with his mother Vidya (Vidya Balan) who is a gynecologist. Amol Arte (Abhishek Bachchan) is young, progressive and a full-of-ideals politician. He is out to prove to the world that 'politics' is not a bad word. He is a man with a mission. Auro is Amol's son however Vidya conceals this from him. When Auro does learn the truth however, he wishes to go to Delhi with his father. Auro tries to get his mother and father back together but Vidya resists, still hurt by the fact that Amol wanted her to have an abortion when they first found out she was pregnant. Amol realizes his mistake though, and proposes to Vidya, as he is still in love with her. He stays by Auro's side when he finds out that Auro is his son. Auro's health begins to deteriorate as he reaches his 13th birthday, his physical defects catching up. However, he is finally able to reunite his mother and father once again as Vidya gives in to her feelings for Amol and her motherly love for Auro. Auro, succumbing to his disease, dies happy, his last words being "Maa" and "Paa."

[edit]Production

Parts of the film were shot in UK and Malaysia. Some of the filming was originally planned to take place in Cambridge in June 2009. However, due to a conflict with student graduation ceremonies, the Abbey Gardens in nearby Bury St. Edmunds was used instead.^{[citation needed]} The Film also was shot in Taiping, Malaysia. The King Edward VII school was actually one of the Malaysian local schools.

One of the notable things in the movie was the Amitabh's prosthetic make up. It was done by Hollywood’s Christien Tinsley (famous for his work in The Passion of the Christ, Catwoman and other films) and Dominie Till of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy fame.

In the words of R. Balki "My main aim was not to make a film on progeria. My main motive behind making ‘Paa’ was to reverse the roles of Amitabh and Abhishek. I decided to do something like this because once I was with both of them and I saw Abhishek behaving in a very matured manner. It was then that this idea struck me". ^[2]

Paa has been Abhishek Bachchan's first venture into producing films for his family company AB Corp. Ltd. Abhishek not only was one of the lead actors in Paa, but was the main hands on producer in charge of the film's budget, marketing, and the entire production of the film. Rumours say that it takes hours for Amitabh Bachchan to put on his make up and to take it off.^{[3] [4] [5]}

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iPad- The Tablet,

The New iPad- the enlarged iPhone version, is making waves in the consumer electronics world. Those who are tech geeks, are so excited about the latest offering from Apple, they can't stop talking about it.

I am cautiously optimistic. The reason: the feature of the iPad that allows one to change the font size while reading books on it. Now THAT is what interests me. If Apple has been able to come up with a mobile device for people with low vision too, hats off to them.!! In that aspect alone, I am eagerly waiting to see the IPad.

A news article on www.azcentral.com, said printed newspapers and magazines were on their way out in 2010. Seems like it, because i recently got a renewal letter from Fortune magazine, offering me a whole year of issues(20), for just $10.00(Ten dollars). The letter says they are discounting 79 dollars, if i renew. WOW!!!

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3 Idiots-Hindi Movie

This movie has Aamir khan, Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi, as the 3 idiots. Its a hilarious movie in its pre-interval time.

I liked the movie because of its greater lessons of life.

Its something what I have maintained. No use in Pushing your child into something that he/ she does not want to do, or has no aptitude for. Let them do something they like. They will be far happier in the end. Parents force their wishes on their children. This movie is a good reminder of what can happen if the constant prodding, cajoling, becomes a source of mental tension for the child.

Academic success is not the only way to succeed. All great inventors though outside the box, beyond textbooks, and that is why we still refer to them as great people in their own field.

Science is learnt even outside the classroom.

Work hard, but work smart too.

Life will always have its ups and downs, people who think you are up to no good, your critics.

As Rancho says in the movie, 'Pehle kaabil bano, kaamyabi apne aap tumhare peeche aa jayegi."

Translated into: First become worthy.Success will follow you on its own(if you are worthy).

In the end, i am quite happy to see that Aamir Khan has branched out into movies like Taare Zameen par, and now 3 idiots. Movies geared towards contemporary society and its problems.

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The Hindu : Education / College & University : Study abroad: higher education in Japan

The Hindu : Education / College & University : Study abroad: higher education in Japan

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